Oil spills appear to be an endemic problem associated with globalized industrialization. The massive spill from a tanker a decade ago off the coast of Alaska and more recently the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has dramatized this problem. There appear to be no easy and satisfactory solutions once the spill has occurred. Various approaches have been attempted, including the use of dispersants, which are themselves often highly toxic to fish and wildlife, and the use of materials to coagulate the oil, including hay, human hair, shredded tire rubber, pulverized plastics, etc. These “solutions” create their own problems and do not resolve the underlying contamination.
It is understood that spilled oil or other petroleum products may contain a continuum of hydrocarbon components from light, sweet crude, relatively high in alkanes and other petroleum distillates, such as diesel, to heavier crude oil with high asphaltene contents. These heavier components may increase in concentration as the lighter crude evaporates, also part of the problem.
Generally, crude oil also contains malodors, some of them due to organic volatiles and some due to contamination and decomposition of organic matter such as phytoplankton. Crude oil often also contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead, chromium and arsenic. These pass into the water column readily.
Problems are also posed by the uncontrolled disposal of agricultural wastes which may leach into various unwanted locations such as lagoons and rivers. Decomposed plant and animal remains also may be a problem. Agricultural wastes may contain large amounts of fatty acids and fat material due to decomposition. Satisfactory approaches for cleaning up environments in general, are not notably readily available.
The present invention provides a new approach to cleansing environments contaminated with hydrophobic materials which may also include other undesirable components. In the case of petroleum-related contaminations, recovery of the oil is also effected.